Sean Hannity on "demoniz[ing]" Hillary Clinton: "That's my job"
SUMMARY: On Fox News, Sean Hannity stated, "If Hillary was chosen [as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee], this would have electrified" the DNC. Juan Williams replied: "I agree, but I can't believe you are saying this. You demonized Hillary." Hannity then said: "That's my job ... I led the 'Stop Hillary Express.' By the way, now it's the 'Stop Obama Express.' "
On the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity asserted, "[I]t would have been electrifying, in my view, had [Sen.] Barack Obama picked [Sen.] Hillary Clinton" as his vice-presidential nominee. Later, during a discussion with Fox News contributor Juan Williams and Democratic pollster Doug Schoen, Hannity said, "If Hillary was chosen, this would have electrified this place [the Democratic National Convention]." Williams replied, "I agree, but I can't believe you're saying this. You demonized Hillary." Hannity then said: "That's my job ... I led the 'Stop Hillary Express.' By the way, now it's the 'Stop Obama Express.' "
As Media Matters for America documented, on the August 21 edition of Hannity & Colmes, when Fox News contributor Geraldine Ferraro criticized the media's coverage of the Clinton campaign, Hannity asserted, "I think I was more fair to the Clintons," despite his lengthy record of smearing the Clintons.
From the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: I find it amazing, you know, the pick of Joe Biden. First of all, it would have been electrifying, in my view, had Barack Obama picked Hillary Clinton.
[...]
HANNITY: But look at these polls. Look at the Rasmussen polls -- only 39 percent were enthusiastic about the selection, only 33 percent of women. If Hillary was chosen, this would have electrified this place.
SCHOEN: Exactly. I agree with that.
WILLIAMS: I agree, but I can't believe you're saying this.
HANNITY: I -- listen --
WILLIAMS: You demonized Hillary.
HANNITY: That's my job. I led -- I led the -- I led the "Stop Hillary Express." By the way, now it's the "Stop Obama Express."
WILLIAMS: But now -- but now you miss Hillary, huh?
HANNITY: No, no. It's not that. She would have -- she got 18 million votes, Juan.
WILLIAMS: Right.
HANNITY: He barely crossed that finish line at the end of that race.
WILLIAMS: I agree.
HANNITY: You know, but one of the reasons I would argue is that the radical association issue didn't come out until later. Then it's the children of the world, him playing the race card. You know, he's an orthodox liberal, really hardcore, number one liberal in the Senate, picks the number three liberal in the Senate. That's gonna be hard to sell.
Well it is his job. He makes no secret that he's a partisan.
Snoop, fair & balanced is supposed to pertain to those hosts that don't express their allegiances. So you can take a well deserved swipe at them.
Sean is a Con. He's never pretended otherwise.
He is paired with a Lib/Dem on Hannity & Colmes. That's supposed to make that program fair & balanced. Colmes is a lightweight, though from what I've read around the web lately he is standing up to Hannity more often these days.
Tommy and Jeter,
I hope that you can agree that while Hannity at least has 'come out' as what might as well be called... a rightwing partisan hack..... that FoxNoise tries to claim itself as News.....
So wouldn't you agree then that Fox should lose it ability to broadcast under false pretenses? Or at a minimum, Sean must lose his job?
Olbermann never did or does claim to be pure news.... but all of Fox and by default Sean continuosly claim that they are news... conservative news... but news.
I have never heard or seen anywhere on or about Fox that ever claimed that they ever talk opinion..... I hear them all saying that they are where one can get un-biased news.
So by Seans own admission..... he is being either unethical, immoral, or breaking the law.... any of which would get somebody fired!
What say you?
To represent Left or Right position is one thing. To publicly claim that 'I will demonize the person from the Left' is completely different. You are moving away from a defending a philosophy to attacking the philosophy's messenger.
Now, if Colmes has ever claimed 'Its my job to trash any Republican regardless of their point', then Hannity and Colmes is balanced, if not fair.
"Each give their opinions" Jeter
Exactly the point of my post!
Where on Fox on any of the shows in the 24/7 cycle to they claim to be the purveyors of 'opinion'?
They call themselves the Fox 'News' Channel, Fair and Balanced..... the many hosts claim everyday that they only give news with little, if any opinion.... they come off as claiming that what they speak is news not opinion.....
So Hannity, by admittence says that his job is to destroy Democrats, liberals, the Clintons, and now it seems the Obama's!
Yet, he also claims to be a news provider.... so which is it?
Is he opinion and career destroyer? If so hes lied about his job! Or is he speaking only the news which would have him fired and Fox fined to its death for false advertisment?
Come on... even their straight news reporting is ridiculously biased. Just look at that incident with their reporter being mobbed by the Denver protesters. Fox was looking for a fight with some 'evil libs' and this was the result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoDsQ2VNArI&feature=related
This Griff Jenkins is a moron. What kind of a dumbass would deliberately put himself in the middle of a march like that? And was he really a victim here being mobbed by an 'out of control' crowd? Please...
And as I wrote to Snoop earlier you can & should take a well deserved swipe at them.
Don't be absurd. Olbermann has never tried to DEMONIZE anyone, any more than MMFA does.
He's exposed the lies and hyprocrasy of many Republicans, based on their own words and action, which is about as difficult as putting on a hat. And as far as his editorials go, I have always found his criticisms to be not only fair, but principled as well. I have NEVER seen ANYTHING to suggest that he feels it's his job to make sure Republicans (or anyone else for that matter) don't get elected. That's pattently absurd. He levels criticisms based on behavior and decisions that they make that he has (and that most americans would have) issue with. If that works agianst Republicans, it's only becuase a majority share his opinion. If that's teh case, then maybe the Republican's should make better decisions and trying walking the walk when it comes to having priniciples instead of just talking the talk.
OTH Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage, O'Rielly, Beck, Coulter, Boortz, etc... don't even try to pretend to be principled. Just SMEAR THE OTHER GUY, WIN AT ALL COSTS. Just so they can cling to the medieval superstitions and keep more of their paycheck. (You'll notice I didn't include the word 'hard-earned'.) They were hired to smear the Dem, and they do that job - lying with every breath they take, and they don't want to pay a PENNY in taxes if they can help it. (I defy you to find even a single that LIE that Olbermann has EVER told. And he's always corrected his factual errors ON AIR, even giving himself a WPITW award for getting key facts wrong.) Oblermann is a professional. Your guys are all just hacks. Bought and paid for, lying, whoring, despicable hacks.
You're a fool (or a liar) if you think (if you say) that Olbermann's even APPROACHES their level of intellectual dishonesty.
He makes no secret that he's a partisan.
It's more than that...he is admitting, in essence, that he is a right wing political operative whose job is to defeat Democrats.
insHANNITY is always asking trick questions like: :answer yes or no. Have you stopped beating your wife" insHANNITY sort of reminds me of the cretin ralph e. reed. A total charlatan and an all around dispicable individual devoid of morals, and decency that will sayANYTHING to disparage anyone that does not subscribe to his dilusional ideology. He has disfunctional synapses.
I think Olbermann intentionally devotes his program to getting BO elected. He wants BO to be president and uses his national forum to forward his goal.
The difference is that Hannity does it purely because of the (D) behind someone's name, while Olberman does it because he recognizes what is best for the country.
Putting partisan politics before country. Sean Hannity - a great American.
I'll answer that.
Yes.
And Olbermann does the exact same thing, only to my knowledge he hasn't expressly admitted it.
While Keith does give the most negative coverage to Republicans, well deserved I might add, he doesn't exempt Democrats. Both Hillary, for Ferraro's comment and Obama, for his FISA change, have come under Keith's fire.
Has ANYONE at FOX said ANYTHING negative, more than once about ANY Republican (besides the primary races when they were all jocking for their own personal candidate) ?
Irony,
Like Tommy wrote above, it would be great if Olbermann would come out and say it's his job to demonize the right. Because, like Hannity, that is his job. At least Hannity is open & honest about it.
Olbermann trying to derail McCain's so-called Staight Talk Express is no different than Hannity trying to stop Hillary or Obama.
To: Jeter
Re: At least Hannity is open & honest about it.
So when a liar admits he's a liar, he suddenly becomes an honest man?
Interesting!
How is he lying here?
He told you exactly what he's doing.
How is he lying here?
It's either :
On the August 21 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity said: "No, I think I was more fair to the Clintons."
Or it's:
On the August 25 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity then said: "That's my job ... I led the 'Stop Hillary Express.'
It CAN'T be both.
Olbermann trying to derail McCain's so-called Staight Talk Express is no different than Hannity trying to stop Hillary or Obama.
I imagine Olbermann would like to see McCain defeated. But does Olbermann consider it his JOB to do that? That's what Hannity is saying...it's his job to demonize Hillary and Obama.
Irony,
If Colmes decided he was going to make that "his job" then I'd be ok with that. I don't watch Hannity & Colmes, haven't in a long time, because it's just soooo partisan [on both sides] & often would turn into a circus atmosphere with everyone [ hosts & guests] talking over each other like the old Crossfire on CNN. Basically the H & C show is a joke
I don't take either Hannity or Colmes seriously. One is a blowhard. The other a wimp...though I hear he's grown a set recently.
Of course both Olbermann & Matthews make me ill as well.
Maybe I'm just sick of the whole lot of them on cable.
OFF TOPIC: But did anyone catch Luke Russert on MSNBC last night or this morning on Morning Joe. His Dad Tim would be proud! :-)
Of course both Olbermann & Matthews make me ill as well.
They make me ill also Jeter, and you can just tell that the two of them hate eachother.
Correct on Luke Russert , what a cute young man.
Doris,
It's so obvious that Olbermann has little use for Matthews, Matthews seems almost oblivious to Olbermann's digs or looks of disgust. It's funny to watch.
Look what he did to Dana Millbank.
Keith wasn't the ONLY one:
Responding to reader complaints about Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank's use in a July 30 column of an "anonymous secondhand quotation from Sen. Barack Obama" to characterize Obama as "presumptuous," Post ombudsman Deborah Howell chastised Milbank for citing the source anonymously and for imputing a particular interpretation to a quote he did not witness. Howell wrote in her August 10 column: "Anonymous quotes should be used sparingly; this one wasn't worth it. If you weren't there, be careful about judging the context." Further, Howell found that "[n]either [Post national political reporter Jonathan] Weisman nor Milbank called the source" to confirm their interpretation of the quote.
Snoop,
After watching Olbermann I might ask how MSNBC can allow him to host a biased partisan program? Does Keith get away with it because MSNBC pretends to be fair & balanced but doesn't make it part of their advertising?
Maybe Colmes should be encouraged to start his Derail The McCain Straight Talk Express ;-)
"fair & balanced is supposed to pertain to those hosts that don't express their allegiances."
I didn't notice that asterisk anywhere.
Pete,
Hannity & Colmes is advertised as Left vs Right. Each host has an expressed allegiance.
The other hosts are allegedly non-partisan.
No Sean, YOU would have been 'electrified' if Hillary was the nominee. But instead you've been deflated, looking and sounding like a Grade A moron, hiding away in your little box at the convention.
Assh*le.
Fock Snooze - Fair and Balanced, except for most of the time!
You bet I did. Like I've said... Grampy has NOTHING to offer this country. NOTHING. And Thomp.Steve tells us that Grampy is the best the right can offer? The POW record has been long worn out... if he doesn't come up with anything else... anything REMOTELY intelligent... then he is toast. People are gonna get real tired of this 'wah wah woe is me, I was a prisoner, blah blah blah' crap real soon if he doesn't knock it off. He should be reminded that there have been plenty of others who have endured the same or much worse in wartime and they aren't playing it everyday. It's really pathetic.
To be blunt... he is simply unprofessional and unqualified to be the CIC.
I'll assume that Fox will pull their "Fair and Balanced" banners now. One of their top attack dogs has admitted that's he's not only biased, but he's paid to be that way. I'll also assume that they'll pull him from the convention coverage for those very same reasons.
I'll also assume that I'm assuming too much.
HANNITY: That's my job. I led -- I led the -- I led the "Stop Hillary Express." By the way, now it's the "Stop Obama Express."
Hannity is now officially on record... He's not a journalist. He's not a political commentator. He's a political operative whose job it is to defeat Democratic candidates. He says he's an Independent. However, I have only seen his support of Republicans. Therefore, it can now be said without doubt and by his own admission, that Hannity is officially a political operative for the Republican Party. FOX should drop any pretense to the contrary and label Hannity in his correct role.
"Demonizing" isn't something even a partisan commentator with no pretensions to being a journalist admits to. One could admit to "exposing" or "investigating" and still be a respectable hack. "Demonizing" is portraying somebody as absolutely evil.
But it reminded me of another word brought up in the media, re: Michelle Obama's speech; "humanize".That's what she was trying to do to the Obama family, according to the righty pundits last night."humanizing" was also used to describe what Gay rights proponents were trying to do by pointing out that they were just Americans with different sexual orientation.
I never really heard the word "humanizing" until a few years ago. I heard "de-humanizing" quite a few times during my life, in explanations of how things like slavery and the Holocaust happened. It meant creating a mindset where human beings were portrayed as not human.
I'd guess that "humanizing" means the opposite, trying to make the non-human seem human. I hope a majority of voter don't have as limited a definition of humanity as some of the conservative commentators.
BTW, my apologies to everybody if this comment triggers some troll to apply "dehumanizing" to a couple of cells in a womb and that whole merry-go-round gets started up again..
Hannity's right. It is his job. That exactly what FOX wants him to do.
Olbermann has come out to criticize both Obama and Clinton with his special comment pieces. To claim that he's out to stop McCain and that is his job is laughable at best. Hannity is an admitted political operative, who has incredibly dubious personal and professional ties.